Sura XXIX — The Spider

ELIF. LAM. MIM.[677]
Think men that when they say, "We believe," they shall be
let alone and not be put to proof?

We put to proof those who lived before them; for God will surely take
knowledge of those who are sincere, and will surely take knowledge of the
liars.

Think they who work evil that they shall escape Us? Ill do they judge.

To him who hopeth to meet God, the set time of God will surely come. The
Hearer, the Knower, He!

Whoso maketh efforts for the faith, maketh them for his own good only. Verily
God is rich enough to dispense with all creatures.

And as to those who shall have believed and done the things that are right,
their evil deeds will we surely blot out from them, and according to their
best actions will we surely reward them.

Moreover we have enjoined on man to shew kindness to parents: but if they
strive with thee that thou join that with Me of which thou hast no
knowledge,[678]
obey them not. To me do ye return, and then will I tell you of
your doings:

And those who shall have believed and done the things that are right, we will
surely give them an entering in among the just.

But some men say, "We believe in God," yet when they meet with sufferings in
the cause of God, they regard trouble from man as chastisement from God. Yet
if a success come from thy Lord they are sure to say, "We were on your side!"
Doth not God well know what is in the breasts of his creatures?

Yes, and God well knoweth those who believe, and He well knoweth the
Hypocrites.

The unbelievers say to the faithful, "Follow ye our way, and we will surely
bear your sins." But not aught of their sins will they bear—verily they are
liars!

But their own burdens, and burdens beside their own burdens shall they surely
bear: and inquisition shall be made of them on the day of Resurrection as to
their false devices.

Of old sent we Noah to his people: a thousand years save fifty did he tarry
among them; and the flood overtook them in their wrongful doings:

But we rescued him and those who were in the vessel; and we made it a sign to
all men:

And Abraham; when he said to his people, "Worship God and fear Him. This will
be best for you, if ye have knowledge;"

Ye only worship idols beside God, and are the authors of a lie. Those whom ye
worship beside God can give you no supplies: seek, then, your supplies from
God; and serve Him and give Him thanks. To Him shall ye return.

Suppose that ye treat me as a liar! nations before you have treated God's
messenger as a liar; but open preaching is his only duty.

See they not how God bringeth forth creation? and then causeth it to return
again? This truly is easy for God.

SAY,[679]
Go through the earth, and see how he hath brought forth created beings.
Hereafter, with a second birth will God cause them to be born again; for God
is Almighty.

Whom He pleaseth will He chastise, and on whom He pleaseth will He have
mercy, and to Him shall ye be taken back.

And ye shall not invalidate his power either in the Earth or in the Heaven:[680]
and, save God, ye shall have neither patron nor helper.

As for those who believe not in the signs of God, or that they shall ever
meet him, these of my mercy shall despair, and these doth a grievous
chastisement await."

And the only answer of his people was to say, "Slay him or burn him." But
from the fire did God save him! Verily, herein are signs to those who
believe.

And Abraham said, "Of a truth ye have taken idols along with God as your bond
of union[681]
in this life present;

But on the day of resurrection some of you shall deny the others, and some of
you shall curse the others; and your abode shall be the fire, and ye shall
have none to help."

But Lot believed on him,[682]
and said, "I betake me to my Lord, for He truly is
the Mighty, the Wise."

And we bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob,[683]
and placed the gift of prophecy and
the Scripture among his posterity; And we gave him his reward in this world,
and in the next he shall be among the just.

We sent also Lot: when he said to his people, "Proceed ye to a filthiness in
which no people in the world hath ever gone before you?

Proceed ye even to men? attack ye them on the highway? and proceed ye to the
crime in your assemblies?" But the only answer of his people was to say,
"Bring God's chastisement upon us, if thou art a man of truth."

He cried: My Lord! help me against this polluted people.

And when our messengers came to Abraham with the tidings of a son, they said,
"Of a truth we will destroy the in-dwellers in this city, for its in-dwellers
are evil doers."

He said, "Lot is therein." They said, "We know full well who therein is. Him
and his family will we save, except his wife; she will be of those who
linger.

And when our messengers came to Lot, he was troubled for them, and his arm
was too weak[684]
to protect them; and they said, "Fear not, and distress not
thyself, for thee and thy family will we save, except thy wife; she will be
of those who linger.[685]

We will surely bring down upon the dwellers in this city vengeance from
Heaven for the excesses they have committed."

And in what we have left of it is a clear sign to men of understanding.

And to Madian we sent their brother Shoaib. And he said, "Oh! my people!
worship God, and expect the latter day, and enact not in the land deeds of
harmful excess."

But they treated him as an impostor: so an earthquake assailed them; and at
morn they were found prostrate and dead in their dwellings.

And we destroyed Ad and Themoud. Already is this made plain to you in the
ruins of their dwellings. For Satan had made their own works fair seeming to
them, and drew them from the right path, keen-sighted though they were.

And Corah and Pharaoh and Haman. With proofs of his mission did Moses come to
them, and they behaved proudly on the earth; but us they could not
outstrip;[686]

For, every one of them did we seize in his sin. Against some of them did
wesend a stone-charged wind: Some of them did the terrible cry of Gabriel
surprise: for some of them we cleaved the earth; and some of them we drowned.
And it was not God who would deal wrongly by them, but they wronged
themselves.

The likeness for those who take to themselves guardians instead of God is the
likeness of the SPIDER who buildeth her a house: But verily, frailest of all
houses surely is the house of the spider. Did they but know this!

God truly knoweth all that they call on beside Him; and He is the Mighty, the
Wise.

These similitudes do we set forth to men: and none understand them except the
wise.

God hath created the Heavens and the Earth for a serious end.[687]
Verily in
this is a sign to those who believe.

Recite the portions of the Book which have been revealed to thee and
discharge the duty of prayer: for prayer restraineth from the filthy and the
blame-worthy. And the gravest duty is the remembrance of God; and God knoweth
what ye do.

Dispute not, unless in kindly sort, with the people of the Book;[688]
save with
such of them as have dealt wrongfully with you: And say ye, "We believe in
what hath been sent down to us and hath been sent down to you. Our God and
your God is one, and to him are we self-surrendered" (Muslims).

Thus have we sent down the Book of the Koran to thee: and they to whom we
have given the Book of the law believe in it: and of these Arabians there are
those who believe in it: and none, save the Infidels, reject our signs.

Thou didst not recite any book (of revelation) before it: with that right
hand of thine thou didst not transcribe one: else might they who treat it as
a vain thing have justly doubted:

But it is a clear sign in the hearts of those whom "the knowledge" hath
reached. None except the wicked reject our signs.

And they say, "Unless a sign be sent down to him from his Lord. . . ." SAY:
Signs are in the power of God alone. I am only a plain spoken warner.

Is it not enough for them that we have sent down to thee the Book to be
recited to them? In this verily is a mercy and a warning to those who
believe.

SAY: God is witness enough between me and you.

He knoweth all that is in the Heavens and the Earth, and they who believe in
vain things[689]
and disbelieve in God—these shall be the lost ones.

They will challenge thee to hasten the punishment: but had there not been a
season fixed for it, that punishment had already come upon them. But it shall
overtake them suddenly when they look not for it.

They will challenge thee to hasten the punishment: but verily Hell shall be
round about the infidels.

One day the punishment shall wrap them round, both from above them and from
beneath their feet; and God will say, "Taste ye your own doings."

But those who shall have believed and wrought righteousness will we lodge in
gardens with palaces, beneath which the rivers flow. For ever shall they
abide therein. How goodly the reward of those who labour,

Who patiently endure, and put their trust in their Lord!

How many animals are there which provide not[691]
their own food! God feedeth
them and you. He Heareth, Knoweth all things.

If thou ask them who hath created the Heavens and the Earth, and hath imposed
laws on the sun and on the moon, they will certainly say, "God." How then can
they devise lies?

God lavisheth supplies on such of his servants as He pleaseth or giveth to
them by measure. God knoweth all things.

If thou ask them who sendeth rain from heaven, and by it quickeneth the
earth, after it hath been dead, they will certainly answer, "God." SAY:
Praise be to God! Yet most of them do not understand.

This present life is no other than a pastime and a disport: but truly the
future mansion is life indeed! Would that they knew this!

Lo! when they embark on shipboard, they call upon God, vowing him sincere
worship, but when He bringeth them safe to land, behold they join partners
with Him.

In our revelation they believe not, yet take their fill of good things. But
in the end they shall know their folly.

Do they not see that we have established a safe precinct[692]
while all around
them men are being spoiled? Will they then believe in vain idols, and not own
the goodness of God?

But who acteth more wrongly than he who deviseth a lie against God, or calls
the truth when it hath come to him, a lie? Is there not an abode for the
infidels in Hell?

And whoso maketh efforts for us, in our ways will we guide them: for God is
assuredly with those who do righteous deeds.

[677]
See Sura lxviii. p. 32. The first ten verses of this Sura were revealed at
Medina, after the battles of Bedr and Ohod. Nöld. p. 115.

[678]
Deities for whose worship thou canst shew no authority. Comp. Tr.
Jebhamoth, fol. 6. If a father saith to his son, "Defile thyself," or saith,
"Make not restitution," shall he obey him? It is said (Lev. xix. 3), Let
every man reverence his father and mother, but keep my Sabbaths all of you:
ye are all bound to honour me. Thus also Midr. Jalkut, 604. Comp. next Sura,
v. 13.

[679]
The word SAY—the usual address of God or Gabriel to Muhammad—must either be
considered as spoken by God to Abraham, in which case we have a curious
instance of the manner in which Muhammad identifies himself with Abraham, and
makes Abraham speak in words which he constantly elsewhere uses himself; or,
with Wahl, we must suppose that from v. 17 to v. 22 are misplaced.

[681]
Lit. for love among yourselves, or as an object of love, i.e. devout
worship.

[682]
Thus Sura [lxv.] xxi. 71. The Midr. Rabbah on Gen. Par. 18, says that
Haran, the father of Lot, was brought by Abraham's deliverance from the
furnace to the adoption of his doctrines. Muhammad may have transferred this
idea to Lot.

[683]
The following passages deserve to be compared, as shewing the loose way in
which Muhammad could speak of the relationship subsisting between Abraham and
the other Patriarchs. See 38 below. Sura [xci.] ii. 127; [lxxxix.] vi. 84;
[lviii.] xix. 50; [lxv.] xxi. 72; [lxxvii.] xii. 6. It is a curious
coincidence that in the Sonna 398, 400, Joseph is said to be the Grandson,
and Jacob the Son, of Abraham.

[688]
With the Jews. This passage is quoted by modern Muslims in justification
of their indifference with respect to the propagation of their religion. "The
number of the faithful," said one of them to Mr. Lane, "is decreed by God,
and no act of man can increase or diminish it." Mod. Egypt. i. p. 364.
Nöldeke supposes this verse to have been revealed at Medina, and renders,
Contend not except in the best way, i.e. not by words but by force.

[690]
That is, you may find places of refuge where you may worship the true God
in some other parts of the earth, if driven forth from your native city. This
verse is very indicative of a late Meccan origin. Flight from Mecca must have
been imminent when Muhammad could thus write.